tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62424292726399613442017-02-08T04:55:02.401+00:00A year in my lifeA blog about my breast cancer journey, by Emma DelaneyEmma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-30786443942437494102010-12-07T18:43:00.001+00:002010-12-07T18:57:12.265+00:00Mammogram resultsOops. I was so excited about reporting back about Faithless, that I forgot to post about the result of my mammogram. Only 7 weeks after I had it, and I finally got to see Mr Ghosh, the consultant surgeon. As I thought, no news was good news and there was nothing of concern on the x-ray, and he did a hands-on examination and there was nothing wrong there either.
We had a brief catch up about my Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-88083415834153103562010-12-05T10:47:00.003+00:002010-12-05T11:08:22.045+00:00God is a DJThe week that has just gone, shall henceforth be dubbed "Faithless week".
Yes, indeedy, we managed to see Faithless live not just once, courtesy of a lovely lady (B, you know who you are, thank you!!!) who works for the Manchester Evening News Arena, but actually twice. A friend was able to get tickets for the Cardiff gig on Wednesday, so we went there first.
We arrived slightly late on Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-17177509574570869372010-11-18T00:18:00.000+00:002010-11-18T00:18:46.157+00:00Still hectic and busyI feel like I am always making excuses about why I haven't done x or y at the moment. I'm sure people must be getting fed up with me. But it does feel as if life has been a little non-stop for the past 6 months+, mostly all my own fault, I think!
As well as a few months where many workday evenings and weekends were spent doign DIY at Greg's house, I have also done a couple of small tidy up DIY Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-44933051030846500182010-11-17T23:47:00.000+00:002010-11-17T23:47:21.589+00:00Another item nearly ticked off the 'to do' listWell, we have been working very hard to get Greg's house ready for sale, and now it is (all bar putting in some carpet, which will be done this weekend). Mine is now up for sale too.
We have located a house to buy already.... and in fact, have made an offer and had it accepted. With the amazingly kind support of my parents, we are able to purchase a house before we have actually sold our Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-50184047440630591492010-11-17T23:37:00.000+00:002010-11-17T23:37:21.356+00:00The kindness of strangersA lovely lady from the online cancer forum that I chat on has arranged for me to have free tickets to see Faithless in Manchester! How amazing is that?
She had read the blog, seen that they were on my list of things I'd like to do, and as she works for the venue is able to get staff complimentaries.
I have the tickets in my sticky mitts, and am so very grateful for her kindness in arranging Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-20669744362886533662010-11-17T23:29:00.000+00:002010-11-17T23:29:18.866+00:00Herceptin at homeI had my first "Herceptin at home" experience yesterday. After being told that this would happen, I hadn't actually been contacted by anyone to find out what was going on. Coincidentally, while I was playing telephone tag with the contact at Velindre hospital, the Bupa coordinator left a message on my phone about it. She had apparently been phoning me regularly but not getting an answer (Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-3580440507347305902010-11-17T22:58:00.000+00:002010-11-17T22:58:25.417+00:00Delayed resultsApologies again for having neglected my blog. I am sure everyone will have stopped checking for updates now!!!
Anyway, I was supposed to have seen the surgeon, Mr Ghosh, on 5th November but received a letter cancelling that appointment. I had to call to make another. And the next date they can do? 3rd December! This is rubbish - I don't get the results of my mammogram until then, thats a fullEmma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-88149330169748104972010-10-14T21:30:00.000+01:002010-10-14T21:30:14.288+01:00Squished and SquashedToday was my first annual mammogram. I won't lie to you, it is a touch uncomfortable. Having your boob sandwiched between two blocks of perspex as tightly as possible, while you hug the machine and have your face pressed against the cold metal, while they hand tighten the screws to get it that little bit closer, isn't the most pleasant way to spend an afternoon, but in reality it only lasts Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-68060193795181249782010-09-21T21:45:00.001+01:002010-09-22T00:13:12.721+01:00One year. Done.Today, 21st September 2010, is the first anniversary of my mastectomy. Some might expect me to be sad about that, but I am not. What's done is done, and I can live with it quite easily. No psychological damage, my fella still fancies me, I've adapted my clothes to fit. Doesn't mean to say I won't have a reconstruction when I can, but it isn't causing me any day to day issues.
If anything,Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-71524026940034193152010-08-15T12:52:00.001+01:002010-08-15T12:53:44.495+01:00I've had a haircut!Actually, I had it cut last Tuesday but haven't had time to update here since then.
It actually looks as though it is meant to be this short now, rather than all fluffy around the edges!! And it has made it look a bit less grey, which can't be bad.
Yay!
Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-87093832266739774712010-08-09T21:16:00.001+01:002010-08-09T21:22:16.636+01:00Busy busy beeSo, just to explain why I have been far too busy to update the blog in the past month:
- Walked the Walk
- A week in Mallorca and some nice sunshine
- Visit to my brother and family to wish Ella a happy 10th birthday
- Attended a conference at Bicton College in Devon
- Camping with a big group of friends
- Seeing The Automatic at Monmouth Festival (free gigs!!)
- Being Jane Austen for a day (Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-11847990655229876262010-08-09T20:35:00.001+01:002010-08-09T20:36:48.385+01:00Have a heartYou may recall that my Herceptin treatment has been suspended because my MUGA heart scan result was not what it should be. Well, I have been on the perindopril tablets since then and my blood pressure is down - the last reading I had, it was at 115/79 which is nice and normal. However, I had another scan and my % (of blood being pumped through the left ventricle) is not quite back where it Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-16540785103188417922010-08-09T20:24:00.003+01:002010-08-09T21:28:13.383+01:00We Walked the WalkMost remiss of me, not to update on here about the fantastic walk that my friends and I did on 3rd July.
"Team Flora" consisted of me, Greg, Hannah, Charlotte, Gail and Yvonne - and don't we all just look fine in our bras?
We had great fun decorating them - quite a few of us (me included) specially designed them to cover our wobbly tummies!
We walked 13 miles across Bristol - from Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-40252694512921458612010-08-09T20:07:00.000+01:002010-08-09T20:07:15.867+01:00I was just unlucky!Yes, you guessed it - I got the results of the genetic testing that I had done in March (see March 17th blog) and I have none of the so-far discovered gene mutations known to cause breast cancer. So I was just unlucky, I guess.
Or I have a gene mutation that hasn't yet been discovered. Mum and I have both given our blood samples to another clinical trial which is continuing to scour the human Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-71491480984225365902010-08-09T20:01:00.000+01:002010-08-09T20:01:10.516+01:00Whoops! It's been a while since my last update....Hi folks
Sorry for not updating for some time - life has been just far too busy, in all good ways.
I shall now post about a few different items, so watch out, here they come....Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-79527570542138998482010-07-01T08:42:00.002+01:002010-07-01T08:43:38.533+01:00SCAR project
Came across this on another blog. The images are amazing. Although it makes me think that a nipple reconstruction across a scar line is not worth the effort...Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-33003962032028228832010-06-24T22:42:00.001+01:002010-06-24T22:43:15.219+01:00£597 and risingIf you haven't already, now would be a great time to donate for our half marathon walk. Just over a week to go, and we're hoping the weather is going to stay nice.
Go here to donate: http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/teamflora
A HUGE thanks to everyone who has already donated. The team is nearly up to £600 raised so far, which is a fantastic amount! I am very impressed and very pleased.Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-5332027621553098612010-06-19T10:24:00.000+01:002010-06-19T10:24:35.004+01:00BP is DOWN!Hurrah! GP check yesterday, and my blood pressure is down again! It is now 124/86 which is much more normal for me. Normally, they increase the dose of Perindopril from the 2mg a day that I am on at the moment, to 16mg for it to do what it needs to do. But doc has left me on 2mg until next Friday's check as he doesn't want my BP to go too low - it's almost as bad as it being too high as I'd Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-55582950568597056532010-06-14T21:49:00.001+01:002010-06-14T21:49:59.488+01:00More drugsOn Friday, I came home to find I had been scheduled with an appointment for Dr Iqbal today, down at Velindre. So off I toddled, not really knowing what it was for but hoping it was to help answer the questions about what exercise I could do following the heart scan result. I had called Michelle - who, bless her, knew everything about my latest results even though I haven't seen her for ages - onEmma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-8802388564330422202010-06-11T23:14:00.000+01:002010-06-11T23:14:06.435+01:00Latest hair growth updateI am quite proud of my current hair growth.
Click on the photo below for a slideshow.
Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-14597882126797024062010-06-08T21:47:00.000+01:002010-06-08T21:47:30.464+01:00InspiringIf I have posted about this before, please forgive me.
I chat on some online forums with other breast cancer patients and find it helpful to get reassurance, information, feel like you're not the only one going through this stuff (which sadly, we are very much not).
I get a few private messages every now and then from some lovely ladies who tell me that they appreciate my outlook, attitude and Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-7057849468612012032010-06-08T21:33:00.001+01:002010-06-08T21:49:30.190+01:00And I was doing so well...As reported yesterday, today I had an appointment with the oncologist. Dr Iqbal is at a conference in America so I saw another lady, very nice, but not one I have seen before. I also did not know the breast cancer nurse who was in attendance, which is a shame as Michelle - the regular nurse - is so lovely and I feel so much more of a connection with her. Today's appointment was apparently to Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-9759874743649018072010-06-07T22:56:00.001+01:002010-06-07T23:00:00.835+01:00Depressed and tanned?Don't worry, I'm not depressed. But according to one work colleague she is amazed that I am not, and seems to be waiting for it to hit me! I won't say who it is that has said to me "But aren't you depressed?" because she really does mean well and is a lovely person, but lets just say in her job, she ought to know better than to say things like that! No. I'm not depressed. I am thrilled to be Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-17311379363746816812010-06-04T22:16:00.000+01:002010-06-04T22:16:27.149+01:00A third of the way throughYes, go on, admit it. You thought I was all done and dusted, didn't you? Chemo is done. Radiotherapy is done. Yeah, Ok, so I'll be on Tamoxifen for at least 5 years but that doesn't count, does it?
Well, sadly, I am not all done just yet - but I am a third of the way through my Herceptin treatments. That means I have had 6 of the 18 treatments. I still have to go to hospital to have them. I haveEmma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6242429272639961344.post-83651666006043280312010-05-23T17:43:00.001+01:002010-05-23T17:48:29.714+01:00Sunshine and campingJust one more radiotherapy to go, and I don't know whether tiredness is going to kick in anytime soon, but I suspect not. Yesterday, I was up at 8am and went for a run (back to beginner training again), walked into town for a few bits and pieces, got stuff ready for camping and then woke Greg up!
We went down to Cockwood, near Dawlish Warren, just for one night with Luke and his girlfriend Emma Delaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00914951996037194749noreply@blogger.com0